On Friday, January 16, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will review an appellate court’s decision to uphold a ban on same-sex marriage. The court’s decision could bring gay marriage to 14 more states and may ultimately determine whether state bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court will review a Sixth Circuit decision which upheld bans in Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky. The Sixth Circuit’s decision conflicted with decisions by four other appellate courts which ruled state prohibitions on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. Since the Sixth Circuit’s controversial decision in November 2014, the stage had been set for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the discrepancy.
There are currently 36 states that allow same-sex marriages. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, which is expected to come in June 2015, could be a monumental event in the decade-long fight for marriage equality.
Rosalind W. Sutch, CPA, MT is the LGBTQ Tax Consulting and Financial Planning practice leader at Drucker & Scaccetti, P.C. She can be reached at (215) 665-3960 or RSutch@taxwarriors.com
